<b>Saltine</b><br><br>
This tapas spot is a good place to meet after a night of heavy drinking.

<b>Saltine</b><br><br>
This tapas spot is a good place to meet after a night of heavy drinking.

Photo: Paul Poplis / Getty Images

Image 3 of 20

<b>Hand</b><br><br>
You hold out your hand and someone puts food in it.

<b>Hand</b><br><br>
You hold out your hand and someone puts food in it.

Photo: Ragip Candan / Getty Images

Image 4 of 20

<b>Agape</b><br><br>
Guests are encouraged to chew with their mouths open.

<b>Agape</b><br><br>
Guests are encouraged to chew with their mouths open.

Photo: Ryan Lane / Getty Images/Vetta

Image 5 of 20

Image 6 of 20

<b>Mirth</b><br><br>
The restaurant staff laughs at you while you eat.

<b>Mirth</b><br><br>
The restaurant staff laughs at you while you eat.

Photo: Holger Leue / Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Image 7 of 20

<b>Frenzy</b><br><br> Every diner’s meal is placed on a single counter at the same time.

<b>Frenzy</b><br><br> Every diner’s meal is placed on a single counter at the same time.

Photo: Nigel Dennis / Getty Images/Gallo Images

Image 8 of 20

<b>Wonder</b><br><br>
You spend the night wondering why your salad has ferns in it.

<b>Wonder</b><br><br>
You spend the night wondering why your salad has ferns in it.

Photo: Brad Wenner / Getty Images/Flickr RF

Image 9 of 20

<b>Lucid</b><br><br>
Each order is accompanied by a splash of ice-cold water to the face.

<b>Lucid</b><br><br>
Each order is accompanied by a splash of ice-cold water to the face.

Photo: Paul Bradbury / Getty Images/OJO Images RF

Image 10 of 20

Image 11 of 20

<b>Syrup </b><br><br>
Something on the table keeps getting your forearm sticky, but you can't figure out where it's coming from.

<b>Syrup </b><br><br>
Something on the table keeps getting your forearm sticky, but you can't figure out where it's coming from.

Photo: hazelog / Getty Images/Flickr RF

Image 12 of 20

<b>Rogue</b><br><br>
You order food, and they give you something else.

<b>Rogue</b><br><br>
You order food, and they give you something else.

Photo: Nicholas Eveleigh

Image 13 of 20

<b>Valor</b><br><br>
Your meal comes under attack, and the waiter executes a daring rescue.

<b>Valor</b><br><br>
Your meal comes under attack, and the waiter executes a daring rescue.

Photo: David Stuart / Getty Images

Image 14 of 20

<b>Remorse</b><br><br>
You get a personal apology from the chef as you exit.

<b>Remorse</b><br><br>
You get a personal apology from the chef as you exit.

Photo: Stockbyte / Getty Images

Image 15 of 20

Image 16 of 20

<b>Trough </b><br><br>
An assortment of raw grains such as buckwheat and millet is served.

<b>Trough </b><br><br>
An assortment of raw grains such as buckwheat and millet is served.

Photo: Matt Hoover Photo / Getty Images/Cultura RF

Image 17 of 20

<b>Gas </b><br><br>
Only the finest high-fiber foods are served.

<b>Gas </b><br><br>
Only the finest high-fiber foods are served.

Photo: Jon Schulte / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Image 18 of 20

<b>Transience</b><br><br> No one can remember where the restaurant is and only happens upon it by accident.

<b>Transience</b><br><br> No one can remember where the restaurant is and only happens upon it by accident.

Photo: Image Source/Steve Prezant / Getty Images/Image Source

Image 19 of 20

<b>Sweat</b><br><br>
All of the standing tables are equipped with treadmills.

<b>Sweat</b><br><br>
All of the standing tables are equipped with treadmills.

Photo: The Washington Post / The Washington Post/Getty Images

Image 20 of 20

Let us invent you a trendy new restaurant

1 / 20

Back to Gallery

Opening a restaurant for the first time seems so intimidating nowadays. You have to come up with a food that no one else has ever served before, and make it seem like lots of people want to eat it. Or, you could reinvent a common food, such as Jell-o, with exotic additives and strange presentations.

But most importantly, you have to come up with a cool name. You could go traditional and name the restaurant after yourself. Or, you could choose an official-sounding name that gives no hint that it’s a restaurant. If you really want to go bold, add a place that is nowhere near where your establishment is located, along with some Roman numerals. “The Kansas Lotion Boutique & Supermarket: Part IV” is a viable option. You’ll want to include fritters of some kind on the menu.

But our favorite restaurant-naming trend is one that has endured for years, because (we assume) it fits well on trendy marketing materials: Finding a one-word name that is either very abstract or oddly concrete and embodies the spirit of your food philosophy. Bonus points if the word is so commonly used that a normal Google search will not turn up your restaurant.

And if you’re worried that all the good ones are already taken, do not despair. Let our unofficial one-word restaurant naming department come to the rescue. We’ve even devised some groundbreaking new presentation ideas to go along, in the above slideshow. And, if you think real restaurateurs might do a better job with naming and concepts, check out some of our favorite Houston one-word eateries below.